Monday, April 4, 2011

Fanfare For The Common Man

Finally! Something to cheer about for the common man. After months and months of muck, scams by politicians, businessmen and the media the Indian victory in the Cricket world cup is a bright and spectacular achievement. One can anticipate the media will drool over this for days to come but what a relief not to see filthy politicians from different ends of the spectrum trading blows on your screen for at least a week or so.

There is a great change from the scenes on June 25, 1983. People were out all night then too in celebration. I particularly remember a shirtless spectator escorting Andy Roberts from the middle to the pavilion when he was out. This was played out on the streets by many fans celebrating through the night where I was. Back then the celebrating crowd was mostly made up of teenagers and above. In 2011 the crowd included juniors as young as 5 or 6. Such is the tremendous impact the exposure to cricket has had. In comparison there were also more cars honking this time.

Should there be changes in the future? Yes! We surely don’t need a world cup lasting 42 days. That is absolute nonsense. For a tournament comprising 14 teams (at least 6 of which are not really regular teams) this could be done within three weeks, or even less, instead. The greatest things come in short bursts. For one, even the real world cup, the football world cup, used to be done in 15 days till the early 1990s till the full commercialisation started. The number of teams in the FIFA world cup went up from 24 to 32. Still for a game that is played across the globe the FIFA cup still finishes in a month or less. There is no sense in 42 days of cricket world cup.

The only thing I do feel bad about is our Indian team receiving the cup from someone like Sharad Pawar. I cannot speak for the team but surely they deserved to receive it from someone really great instead of a petty politician whose integrity has always been in question. Maybe even Clive Lloyd, who was present there, would have been a better presenter.

The flowers from the celebration have not yet withered. And today we are already back to the 2G hearings by the PAC. CBI being accused of a bad job and, of course, elections. And most of all there is some controversy on the Cup received by the Indian team being a replica. We are back in business already.

4 comments
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unless the various chief ministers of various states are showering money in crores on the players from their states at their own expense - which is as unbelievable as squeezing water from a stone - it automatically means that this is being done at taxpayers expense. all tax payers should object vehemently against this MAHARAJA like behaviour of this already discredited,dishonest,debauched lot which thinks nothing of using taxpayer money for garnering some cheap accolades.it is a cruel joke when some basic needs of ordinary people from their states are never met and yet these Neros fiddle when their states are burning.our tax payer money cannot be doled out to multimillionaires as largesse by this vile lot.

Let me hit my head on the wall or against the wall. The common man has no brains but undoubtedly is an ass. Do you mean that a win in a sensationalized or a more hyped out game called cricket is something necessary for a common man to air out his bottled up emotions? The priorities of a common man are different as I think. I am no communist. Or else, why did you say that something for the common man to cheer about? It is frenzy as I see it and nothing more. If the win of India is the ‘the thing’ for a common man of India to cheer about, God save this country.

I disagree there with you.

Media will drool over this for some more time. Different State Govts have started pouring in gifts to astounding measures to the players. Compare this in terms of the welfare measures that they have ever initiated to the weaker sections of this country. Do you have a cause to rejoice?

You mentioned about escorting Andy Roberts. How could you then forget a self declared streak show by Poonam vs Mallaya which presently in the Courts. Hahahahah!!!!!! The last line of para 2 of your post ibid is not up to the mark. The cars anyway honk.

Para 4 of your post is remarkable, that he being the brain behind the escape of the dreaded who now hides in a fashionable alleys of Pakistan should have been shunned except by the coastal Maharashtrians.

I need an answer which is upright and not with subtelities of expressions or words.

LOL! A sporting victory, even in a hyped up game like cricket, which is not really played across the world is any day welcome. And yes, in absence of anything else it does provide something for the common man to cheer about. It's like getting drunk for a day. Sporting victories do not eliminate problems but definitely do lift the spirits. I recommend you read up on how the World cup win in 1958 for Brazil changed the outlook of that nation. In contrast Hitler had used the Berlin Olympics to prove his supremacy theory which failed. So sporting events do and can reflect aspirations of the human spirit.

I have not written about the rewards being doled out by State governments since the news was still breaking. But this is just shameless opportunism by politicians. When there's a party the scumbags are usually the first to arrive.

Oh you may not have been on the streets in 1983 Emmaarcee, but back then there were more two wheelers and the few cars you could see were the usual Ambys and Fiats. Nothing like the sea of cars you could see on the night of 2nd April.

Personally, I think the cricket world cup is exaggerated nonsense and the media loves it because its a game which allows more time to indulge in crap unlike a football or tennis. I will write about that some other time. But there can be no denying that the common man did feel joy. And yes, I would any day have sporting events take front seat than stupid, pathetic politicians. Even if it was a Kabbadi world cup.

To top it all the UP govt. has announced a 'Kanshiram' International Sportsman award for some players. Would I want such a silly award, no I would not!

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